The Gift
by welshie
Summary: Wilson gives House a birthday gift. Eventually HouseWilson. Complete.
1. Happy Birthday, Old Man!

Title: The Gift

Rating: T overall I think.

Disclaimer: Sadly neither House or Wilson are mine.

Summary: Wilson gives House a birthday gift.

A/N: I tried to write something a bit lighter in tone. I like to think that House and Wilson will always have the teasing and banter between them. The fic will be House/Wilson eventually. Also any comments or reviews will be gratefully received. Thanks!

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Chapter One - Happy Birthday, Old Man!

Wilson was standing in front of House, unsuccessfully trying to hide the box he was holding behind his back. It didn't take a genius to work out what the birthday present was, but he tried to create a little suspense nevertheless. Wilson always picked out gifts for House that he knew he'd find useful. He usually gave him a few CD's that he knew he'd like or he sometimes risked getting him a t-shirt. That year he decided to splash out and get the latest pair of sneakers that House had had his eye on.

"Gimme." House demanded, holding his hand out. He waited impatiently for Wilson to take a few steps forward. But Wilson took his time as he slowly walked towards the couch. He then sat down next to House and passed the box over to him. House shook the box once and smiled broadly.

"I wonder what it could possibly be?!" House asked melodramatically.

"Just open it." Wilson answered, hoping to cut House off before he got carried away with the pretence. House huffed in protest, but complied and his eyes lit up as he pulled out the pair of sneakers.

"Nice!" House said as he examined the garishly loud silver and orange shoes. Wilson thought the sneakers were hideous. He was glad he was able to order them online and had avoided actually going to a store to ask for them.

"You said you liked them." Wilson mumbled, a little embarrassed.

"So you do, in fact listen to what I say." House responded as he took off the sneakers he was wearing to try the new pair on.

"I try to tune out as much as I can." Wilson watched House lace up the shoes before he turned to retrieve House's birthday card from his jacket pocket. "Oh, I nearly forgot." Wilson couldn't help grinning as he threw the card at House.

"Ah, the joke that never gets old." House said sarcastically as he caught and opened the envelope. Wilson never missed an opportunity to give him a cheesiest birthday card imaginable with House's age added in thick, brightly coloured marker pen.

"Unlike you. Happy Birthday, old man!!" Wilson continued to smile. He enjoyed teasing House about the fact he was a few years older than himself.

"Just because I'm a little bit older than you, doesn't mean you're young!" House protested.

"But I will always be young-er than you." Wilson said drawing out the two syllables. He chuckled at the glare he got from House in return.

"So what's for dinner?" House asked, quickly changing the subject.

"The sneakers aren't enough? You want me to cook for you as well?!" Wilson complained at House's apparent lack of gratitude.

"It is my birthday." House replied as if Wilson needed reminding.

"We can go out. I wanted to try that new Indian restaurant." Wilson chose to ignore the face House made. He knew that House liked Indian food too.

"We can go anywhere you want long since you're paying." House simply shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't care.

Wilson grumbled under his breath, but he stopped, catching himself as he stood up and got his jacket from the arm of the couch. It was so easy for them to fall into their established roles. House would say or do something shocking to provoke a reaction from him and Wilson would predictably complain about his behaviour. However, that night would be different, Wilson promised to himself.

"_You_ can choose the restaurant." Wilson began as he walked towards the front door of House's apartment. "And _you_ can pay for us too." He added as he turned to face House to see how he would respond.

Wilson smiled when he could see that House was trying his best to hide his surprise, but then House nodded as if he understood what Wilson was doing.

"Okay." House nodded again as he stood up and picked up his cane which was resting against the coffee table. He then took a few steps, testing his new sneakers before smiling his thanks to Wilson.

tbc


	2. Dr Wilson, Teddy Bear

Chapter Two - Dr. Wilson, Teddy Bear.

House, of course completely refused to give sensible presents to Wilson. He knew that Wilson would still favour the eye-searingly ugly ties he bought for himself even if he did give him a nice tie. So he chose useless, silly gifts that would probably make Wilson laugh or blush with embarrassment. It was a bonus if the gift would get Wilson to do both at the same time.

He had eventually graduated to giving stuffed animal toys as presents. They were always different and they were getting larger and more obscure every year. Wilson sometimes had to do a bit of research in order to find out what the animal was and he couldn't help but be impressed at how House had managed to find a rare marsupial or a strange looking reptile. The toy usually stayed in his office for a day or so before Wilson gave it away to one of the children on the Oncology ward. He would then have a big, daft grin on his face for the rest of the day as a result. But House would never discuss it with Wilson, even though making fun of him for it was extremely tempting. Instead House remained secretly pleased that he was the one responsible for Wilson's good mood.

House normally left Wilson's birthday presents on his office desk for him to find, but that year he had decided to hand it over personally. House walked into Wilson's office and stood with the present held out in front of him so that Wilson could reach out and grab the badly wrapped item.

"Here. Take it." House said gruffly. House generally hated moments like these and did his best to avoid them. He found the whole experience awkward, having to pretend that he cared what the recipient thought of the gift. But this instance was definitely an exception. He was curious to see Wilson's reaction; what he would say when he saw the gift.

"Sit down first." Wilson responded. He was immediately puzzled and amused at House's already atypical behaviour. He noticed that House didn't make any attempt to move from where he was standing, so he pointed at the empty chair opposite his desk as if House was a naughty child who was about to be admonished. House took a step forward, putting the gift down on the desk before quietly acquiescing. Wilson unravelled the layers of newspaper that had been used to wrap the gift to uncover a small, cinnamon coloured teddy bear. It wore a white coat and even had a stethoscope around its neck. Wilson simply shook his head in complete amazement.

"I think I've surpassed myself!" House said smugly as if he had never doubted Wilson's reaction.

"So...you saw the teddy bear in the store and thought it would make a nice gift?" Wilson suggested hopefully as he studied the bear carefully and saw that it had 'Dr. Wilson' embroidered on the pocket of the coat. "Or does it look like me? Is it meant to be me?!" Wilson asked despite his better judgement. He scrunched up his face as he spoke, not really wanting to know the twisted thought process behind House's choice of gift.

"It looks just like you." House answered, enjoying the baffled expression on Wilson's face. "I can't tell the difference." House added for good measure.

"Well, it is cute." Wilson retorted as he tried not to smile. He held up the bear's left paw and waved it in House's direction. House rolled his eyes and made a face in mock disgust.

"If you think I'm going to stay here, listen to you say that _and_ expect me to agree with you, you're sadly mistaken." House quickly stood up and headed for the door.

House was about to walk out of Wilson's office when Wilson called out, "House."

"Yeah?" House replied as he turned around to face Wilson once more.

"Thanks. This one is definitely staying here." Wilson said before he put the teddy bear in pride of place, sitting on a stack of journals behind his desk, next to his beloved trophies.

---

tbc

A/N: The teddy bear is in one of the season 4 promo photographs. I wanted to include it in my fic and give it a back-story.

The things I have to do for fic research sometimes; staring at that photo with House and smiley Wilson was such a chore(!)


	3. Wilson vs House

Chapter Three- Wilson vs. House

House had definitely upped the stakes with the teddy bear. The bear was cute and the gesture could have been described as sweet, but Wilson was pretty certain that wasn't the result House had been aiming for. It wasn't as if war had been declared exactly, but Wilson still felt the need to retaliate. It had somehow turned into a competition and he refused to let House win and have the upper hand. Wilson was capable of being just as competitive as House and he was determined to show him that he wasn't the only one who knew how to use the internet. An idea soon formed in his mind after he did a quick search and discovered that something called a 'Barbie Children's Doctor' doll set existed. He was surprised, but only slightly appalled to see that the doll was dressed in a bright cerise short dress and matching high-heels. He chuckled mischievously to himself, knowing that House would approve.

Once the doll set arrived, Wilson wrapped it in bright, gaudy paper and put the large present on House's desk after he and his team had left for the day. Wilson even left a note with _'Dr. House' _written on it on top of the gift, but had made sure that House wouldn't recognise his handwriting.

House found the present the following day when he walked into his office. He eyed the gift warily as he walked up to his desk. The only person who ever bothered to get him something for his birthday was Wilson, but it didn't look as if it was from him. House spotted the note, but that too gave nothing away. House was genuinely puzzled for a few moments until he actually unwrapped the box and saw its contents. House smiled at first and then laughed as soon as he realised that Wilson must have picked it out for him. The doll and all her various miniscule accessories soon found a brand new home next to his computer.

Wilson waited until lunchtime to venture into House's office. He wanted to make it seem as if he just wandered in to ask if House wanted to grab some food in the cafeteria.

"Are you busy?" Wilson asked House as he opened the door. House looked up from his computer screen and Wilson could see that House was waiting for him to admit that the doll was from him.

"Do I look busy to you?" House asked sitting back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest.

"A simple yes or no would be fine, House." Wilson answered as he sat down opposite House. His gaze moved away from House towards the computer monitor where the doll was perched on top of it, her legs dangling down the right hand side of the screen. Only House would think of doing something like that, Wilson thought. He did his best not to smile as House continued to carefully study his face for signs of wavering.

"That's new." Wilson said pointing in the direction of the monitor.

"Yes, it is. It mysteriously appeared this morning. I don't know who it's from." House replied.

"I get gifts from my patients sometimes. Maybe it was from a grateful patient?" Wilson suggested, trying to continue the pretence.

"Yeah, _right_! That sounds likely!" House scoffed. "Whoever it was, they obviously think I'm actually a ten-year old girl."

"How could anyone make such an error?!" Wilson was tempted to admit the truth, but instead he quickly added, "So, you don't know who it's from? Was there a card or a message with it?" Wilson sat forward, completing the impression that he was really didn't have a clue who had given House the gift.

"No name on the note." House answered, playing along with Wilson.

"What if it was Cameron's or Chase's idea of a joke? Cuddy maybe? I know, what about that Janitor guy?" Wilson continued.

"They wouldn't dare." House managed to stop himself before he got drawn into a long debate with Wilson. "I'm not doing a differential on who gave me the doll with you!"

Wilson continued to sit there, his face a picture of complete innocence. House knew that Wilson could manipulate him easily without him even realising. He had learned not to be so gullible around Wilson, but he now started to second guess himself. Suddenly 'everybody lies' popped into his head. Wilson was a really good liar and House couldn't help but think that he would've made an excellent politician.

"Oh, come on. Enough already. I know it's from you." House said with grudging admiration. "To get back at me for the teddy bear."

"What are you talking about?" Wilson replied, shrugging his shoulders. A hint of a smile played on his lips as he spoke. House knew he was being challenged, but he needed to know for sure.

"I'll buy you lunch if you'll just admit it." House finally said in frustration.

"It's really annoying you that you can't solve the mystery." Wilson teased.

"Yeah, it's _such_ a mystery! Maybe I should call the cops." House sneered. He mimicked Wilson's posture and sat forward with his chin resting on his hands. He had already given away valuable ground by offering to pay for lunch, but he wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. He began to stare at Wilson, trying to force him into being the first to crumble.

"Are you trying to intimidate me?!" Wilson asked.

"I'm not busy. I don't have any cases, unlike you. I can bug you all day until you confess."

"Give me the money for lunch first." Wilson demanded. House took his time fishing his wallet out the back pocket of his jeans. He then held the wallet out of Wilson's reach.

"Confess!" House was actually pouting, his expression reminding Wilson of a young child gearing themselves up for a tantrum. Wilson rolled his eyes as he conceded defeat.

"Okay, I admit it." Wilson held his hands up in surrender. "I really can't believe I had you fooled for a while!" Wilson couldn't help grinning at House, feeling victorious. House relinquished his wallet, throwing it at Wilson. He quickly looked inside to see that it was empty and his smile instantly disappeared.

"There's no cash in here." Wilson complained.

"Why would I need money when I have you?!" House replied, smiling gleefully at Wilson.

"Truce?" Wilson offered as he threw back the wallet to House.

"Truce." House agreed as he put his wallet safely back in his pocket. The smug expression that was so familiar to Wilson made an appearance once again.

"Lunch?" House asked as he grabbed his cane. He used the edge of his desk and his cane to pull himself out of his chair. He then took the few steps needed to walk around his desk.

"Lunch." Wilson echoed as he followed House out of his office.

---

Tbc

A/N: Yes, the Barbie Children's Doctor Doll Set really does exist and yes, the doll is really dressed like that. I don't know what message the makers are trying to send, but I don't think they are aiming for the fictional, middle-aged doctor demographic!


	4. The Best Gift Ever

A/N: This is the final chapter. I've lots of fun writing it and all the lovely reviews have really encouraged me to keep writing, so thanks!

Set sometime in season 4 (I'm from the UK so I haven't seen any of the season 4 episodes). References made to season 3 episodes- Act Your Age, House Training and Human Error.

Chapter Four - The Best Gift Ever

House stood outside Wilson's office and raised his free hand to knock on the door. He hesitated as his heart began to race. It would be easy to turn around and head back to the safety of his office. But he was tired of being a coward and he was finally ready to take a chance.

House was determined to have the upper hand for at least one small moment, whatever the outcome, so he took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. He then did his usual thing of bursting into Wilson's office. He was pleased to see that Wilson was playing his role by not bothering to look up from his paperwork. It gave House the time he needed to compose himself.

House opened his mouth to speak, but his mind went blank as he stared at Wilson making notes on the pieces of paper in front of him. Wilson eventually noticed that several seconds of complete silence had passed and still House had not said anything.

"House, I'm busy." Wilson finally gazed up at House and was surprised to see that House actually seemed nervous.

"I can go." Wilson caught the relief that flittered across House's face before he turned to leave the room. He couldn't help, but be surprised at House's response. Normally, nothing stopped him from doing what he wanted.

"No!" Wilson called out. "Stay. You're here now. Might as well tell me what's wrong." Wilson made a show of sighing in mock exasperation as he bundled his notes together in a neat stack and placed them out of the way. Wilson assumed that it would be enough to temporarily distract House and tell him what the matter was. Instead House put his left hand into his pocket and took out a small, uninteresting looking white envelope. He leaned over towards Wilson and stretched across the desk, using his cane for balance. He then dropped the envelope into Wilson's hands.

Wilson looked down in confusion. There was no label; no sign to give a clue to its contents. He picked it up as House headed for the couch and sat at the end farthest from him. House glanced at the door leading to the balcony as if to make sure he could make a quick escape if necessary. Wilson was about to ask House why he was being so mysterious, but he stopped himself when he saw the expression on House's face. House continued to look at Wilson with a mixture of impatience and anxiety as Wilson finally realised what he was meant to do and tore open the envelope.

He gently shook the envelope and the contents fell into his lap. Two, small rectangular pieces of card lay in front of him. He picked one up to read it. Wilson's brain suddenly had trouble processing any more than what was on the ticket.

"Tickets...for Hamlet...in New York?" Wilson managed to ask.

"Yes." House replied.

"For me?" Wilson's eyes remained wide with surprise. House would have made a sarcastic comment about Wilson stating the obvious, but his mind was too preoccupied studying Wilson's face for his reaction.

Wilson had lost count of all of baseball games and monster truck shows he had gone to with House over the years and he guessed that perhaps House was now returning the favour by picking something that he really liked. But then Wilson remembered the last time House had given him tickets for a play. He had been mocked for assuming that House wanted to go with him. He wasn't about to make that same mistake again and wondered who else he could take to see the play.

"Thanks." Wilson said brightly as he waved the tickets in House's direction.

House simply stared back in incredulity, realising that Wilson didn't understand. It seemed completely obvious to him. But he couldn't bring himself to say the words and explain to Wilson why he had given him the tickets.

"That's it?!" House exclaimed, barely clinging to hope that Wilson would finally work it out by himself.

Wilson stood up and walked over to the couch, holding the tickets in his left hand. He sat down next to House and carefully watched him. Wilson could only come up with one explanation for House's uncharacteristic behaviour. But Wilson didn't think that House was even capable of making a grand romantic gesture or any kind of romantic gesture in fact. Wilson was convinced it was impossible and he looked across at House sceptically.

"Is this...a date?" Wilson asked despite his better judgement as he glanced down at the tickets once again.

House looked away for a moment back towards the balcony door. He knew it was too late to make an escape.

"Yes." House said so quietly Wilson had difficulty hearing his answer. He sounded sincere to Wilson and yet there was a nagging doubt that maybe House was making fun of him; that it was just an escalation in the elaborate pranks against each other.

"Is this your idea of a joke House? Or is it a test? You asked Cuddy that time as..."

House stopped Wilson mid-sentence with a kiss. It was a chaste kiss; just closed mouths pressed together, but there was no way that Wilson could misinterpret House's intention. House gently pushed Wilson away, a mixture of dread and anticipation swirling inside him. Wilson could only smile in wonderment; amazed that it had really happened. Wilson had seen the numerous small changes House had recently made in his life, but he had also been secretly worried that House would suddenly revert back to his old ways if he pushed him further. Wilson realised that maybe House had taken those steps so that it would lead to this big change.

"Hamlet?! You'll really go and see Hamlet with me?" Wilson asked.

"Violence and insanity. What's not to like?" House replied shrugging his shoulders. "At least its not Romeo and Juliet."

"That has violence and death in it too." Wilson retorted.

"But they're teenagers!" House protested. "What do they know about love?"

Wilson wanted to say that maybe they weren't exactly experts either, but he decided to lean forward and kiss House instead. He felt House's long fingers rake through his hair and settle against his scalp, keeping their lips in contact as the kiss deepened and became more passionate.

The sudden thought of Cuddy or one of House's team walking into his office and catching them kissing was enough to make Wilson pull away. He self-consciously put a hand on his face, certain his skin was flushed with embarrassment. House predictably laughed at Wilson's reaction.

"You can be such a dork sometimes." House teased. His hand remained at the back of Wilson's neck, rubbing his thumb gently against his skin. It felt comfortable and natural to Wilson, as if House had been kissing and touching him like that for years. Wilson let his hand fall from his face, not making any attempt to move away from House's touch.

"Better to be a dork than a jerk." Wilson teased back, smiling warmly.

As great a present as the tickets were, what they represented was far more important to Wilson. House proved that he wanted him. He was willing to let Wilson get close to him and really show him exactly how much he meant to him. Wilson considered _that_ the best gift House had ever given him.

The end


End file.
